Dead Men Tell No Tales - Norrington's Return
by fionadaydreamer
Summary: Approaching to him walked a man he recalls to have seen in Tortuga on the main street drunk. A sly broad grin was on his lips and not so drunk due from the way he walked. "Escaped Jones' Locker did you now or did you hide yourself well on a forgotten island, Norrington?"
1. Chapter I

A man, with short coffee-black hair just reaching to his ears, crawled out from the salty water upon the white sand shore of a town. He continued to crawl on his knees and hands while coughing out salt water from his lungs. Soon out of exhaustion he rolled over and lies on his back, facing the warm sun shining high in the crystal blue sky. His lungs burned and the sun's light felt warm to his cheek.

Not far he heard the living hustle and bustle of a town asides the seagulls crying and the slow wooden groaning of a few ships large and small. Those were familiar sounds to his ears. "Civil- civilization." He gasped relieved, blinked until his eyes were accustomed to the bright light and began to look up. Soon he turned around and sat up to see the town.

Knowing he was long gone in some dark place of coldness and solitude. Where exactly he can not recall. Seeing now light, colours and life before his eyes was a delightful sight. Alas in his mind memories are blurry and unclear; some even black as the night. As he tried to recall deeper in his memories his head began to ache and everything around him slightly turned like a carrousel. Quickly he shook his head to get rid of the pain. He silently groaned as he slowly got to his feet. The sand felt warm and soft and before him was the town with few large ships at the right and on his left small fisher boats with their fishermen clearing the nets. He walked weakened to and fro towards the fishermen. The fishermen noticed him and watched how he staggered with a confused and cautious expression. Although they were used to see drunken men staggering about but with this man it was different. His glance was fixed at them and did walk straight but had trouble with his strength to move, as if on every limb was a stone bound extra.

"Where-where am I? What town is this?" Once he was close to the fishermen.

"This is Tortuga, lad. Did you lose yer ship in an angry storm?" Wondered one fisherman while smoking his pipe.

The man blinked at the fisherman. Opened his mouth to speak but nothing came to mind to answer the question. The name Tortuga rang familiar only with less pleasant impressions stirring from within his chest. "Tortuga?" He whispered. Somewhere in his mind, out of focus, a memory recalling ghostly from his past. Emotions of anger and frustration was felt and something to do with alcohol besides mindless fighting. His head ached again like a thousand needles from every side and heard a throbbing at his ears. He clenched his teeth and placed a hand to his head.

"Don't tell me you can't remember. One can tell if you lost a ship or not." Raised the fisherman an eyebrow of doubt, giving out a puff of smoke from his pipe. The man shook his head again to rid the pain. "I think it's one of those men who lost literally everythin', also their mind." Whispered another fisherman to the other with the pipe. "What's yer name?" Asked the fisherman with a grin while pointing with his pipe to the man. "I-don't-know." Whispered one to the fisherman's ear with an almost suppressed chuckle. They giggled heartily together.

The man did not like one bit how the two fishermen acted in front of him. His hands balled to fists and clenched his teeth. "Why are you two laughing about? I do have name. It's ..." He halted to think, to remember. It is a name and not just any; it has a respectable meaning and earned the title for his hard and loyal work. It is somewhere in his mind just at his reach, at the tip of his tongue. Nothing but hot air rolled past his lips.

The two fishermen giggled to his reaction. Angered and annoyed he left the beach and headed onto the main street or what was left to appear so in Tortuga. Filled with manure, filth and drunken people of all sorts. Some even lay deeply asleep while few domestic animals trotted about. In his mind he pondered angered why he can not recall even his own name? _Something is not right. Everyone knows their own name, why can't I? What's the matter with me?_

Suddenly his eyes stopped at a drunken couple in front of him. They were deeply drunk in a warm-hearted manner that they threw their arms round him as if they were old friends and pulled him unwillingly towards a table. Pouring generously a large mug of rum. Due to their drunken behavior and his own headache the man did not understand what was said from the man and woman besides their never ending giggling. Except to drink the mug full of rum; with a sigh he took a sip. The rum was not to his taste and spat what was in his mouth to the ground. The man, who spoke mostly, looked oddly very familiar. Also involved with unpleasant impressions, very strong, almost as a negative as hate. _Somehow connected with Tortuga and more?_ The longer the man looked at the drunken man, a memory or two slowly revealed into sharp focus in his mind. _Is he a pirate?_ Suddenly his eyes fell down to the man's arms. Aside the tattoos he noticed the scourged flesh in shape of the letter 'P' just above his right wrist.

"Wha- what are you- you s-staring at?" Spoke the man in his drunken way while swaying with the woman.

Before the man could open his mouth to respond the two drunkards collapsed to the ground and were gone into their deep slumber. Quick-witted the man tried to shake them awake but it was no use. _The alcohol needs to be slept off._ "What a fool." Passed the man's lips without thinking. _Why should I say that to a drunkard? I barely know him yet I have this feeling I know him almost too well._ All the other people around did not care what happened but somehow it invoked to a brawl of chaos and nonsense like falling dominos; leading one trouble and brawl to the other. The man did his best he could to dodge many fists, cutting swords and sharp ends of broken glass bottles or duck at the right moment while trying to sneak out with a stinging headache.

Suddenly something hard hit at the back of his head. He heard shattering glass as the burning pain began to spread and saw suddenly few small shards on his shoulders. Before he could turn round to see everything felt heavy and turned black before his eyes. For a while he was in that darkness of warmth but also a throbbing pain was felt. Soon the darkness grew brighter and the throbbing continued at a slight faster rhythm. Voices in the distance grew closer and clearer. "Do you think it's him, Capitan? Without a doubt, Mr. Gibbs. Let me know when he awakes from his slumber, will ya? But Capitan! If it's him, then why didn't he arrest you? All in good time, I believe the question will be answered and when it won't get answered then we shall need to find another answer from him without him saying it, savy?"

The man popped open his eyes and blinked. Letting his eyes get accustomed to the light. An elderly man with a grey beard glared at him surprised. "Jack, he's awake!" Called the elderly man eager to another person with a quick wave of his arm. His face appeared somehow familiar too.

The man slowly sat up with a groan and felt the throbbing at the back of his head. As a reaction he placed a hand to feel out a wound. He only felt a small swelling. A stinging pain followed as he sat up. He squinted his eyes in pain with a groan and began to look around. He noticed the familiar environment of wood, masts and men cleaning busily, climbing on masts and ropes or tied ropes. _On deck of a ship?_ The man recalls he has been multiple times on ships but this especially not. One with such dark wood that is nearly black. In his mind he had the impression that there was something with this ship that he always wanted but what, was the mystery.

"Escaped Davy Jones' Locker did you now or did you hide yourself on a well forgotten island, Norrington?" Approached the drunkard from Tortuga. A sly broad grin was on his lips and not so drunk due from the way he walked but still in a swaying like manner.

"N-Norrington?" Wondered the man with narrowed eyebrows. The name sounded and felt that it _is_ his own name.

The drunkard, addressed as Captain, grinned at him as if it is a joke. "You're pulling my leg. You can't remember your own name? It's James Norrington so far I've gathered from Miss Swan who is now Miss Turner. Last time we met I believe you were some sort of commodore or more other in the navy. What have you been doing to come out so with your mind? Surely not from drinking rum nor the bottle Gibbs gave you." The man paused. "Take a bloody guess, who am I?" He outstretched his arms at shoulder height. Presenting himself with a sly smile.

Norrington narrowed his eyes in thought. Trying to recall anything from his mind. The names that were mentioned made him suddenly stir from the chest within. _James Norrington, Miss Swan, Turner, Commodore, Davy Jones?_ Irritated by the mixture of emotions as he tried to focus on finding out the drunkard's name. Suddenly pictures appeared of that man and soon a name. "Jack Sparrow." He whispered.

"Aye, only there should be a _Capitan_ somewhere." Sparrow grinned. "So your brain is not entirely scrambled as I thought it was." He turned and walked away, across the deck to the wheel. Mr. Gibbs gave a scoff to suppress a laugh.

"What is so amusing?" Norrington turned bewildered to Gibbs. Quickly he got to his feet. "Thanks to you I now know my name and yours. What I don't understand is I can't remember a thing." He quickly walked to the closest banister to support, his head was spinning but as a relief the pain was gone.

"This doesn't sound like you, mate. Gibbs can't have given you the bottle that hard."

"I had it already before."

"Ah, and you're asking for my help?" Sparrow gave a brief smirk.

"Apparently you know me better than expected."

"I will gladly help you if you help me first."

"What? You?" Norrington stared in disbelief. "You- you're a pirate and I am not! How come do you need my help when you are seeking after some treasure with a compass that-that doesn't point north?" Norrington remembered of the special compass that Sparrow has at all times. Mr. Gibbs followed Norrington closely.

"Yet you are on a ship with pirates, mate. The help I'm asking for is not finding a treasure but something of greater value." Sparrow paused. "Unfortunately someone's hand was brisk at searching my personal belongings that I had with me. Without it, as it is now, I won't be able to find which way is right and get what I wanted in the first place."

Norrington blinked to collect while looking up to the sky to reorder Sparrow's words. He placed a hand to his head to help think clearer as the throbbing pain stepped in. "So, you're saying that your compass was stolen?"

"Yeah." Said Sparrow short with raised eyebrows.

"Do you have any leads to the man who stole it?"

"Thanks to a few men in Tortuga they pointed to that ship." Pointed Sparrow confidently out to the distance.

Norrington needed to narrow his eyes while placing a hand above his eyes to spot a mere speck on the horizon against the sun. "Leads from a few drunkards?" He scoffed. "Who would ever steal a compass that doesn't point north?"

Sparrow shrugged his shoulders. "Multiple possibilities to guess."

"Then it must be no coincidence if the man is after the same interest as yours. Why not track ahead with a map to get your treasure while following this ship? If the tracks meet as in the map to the chest, then you'll have the upper hand to get both what you want."

"That what I'm searching for, in the first place, cannot be found on any map, Norrington. And I as a pirate am aching to know what are the man's plans with my compass asides what booty can be found in their ship. Secondly, it is no treasure of the sort."

Norrington turned to Sparrow stunned. "Is it what I think it is? Isla de Muerta?"

Sparrow smiled broadly. "I've learned that life is better than immortality, mate. I intend to find 'The Black Diamond'."

"'The Black Diamond'? I've heard of black pearls in Asia but a diamond?" Norrington raised an eyebrow of doubt. "I think it is worthless from its value unless it is a ship."

"Quite on the contrary, dear Norrington. It happens to be the only diamond in stone and in black and hence priceless."

"I wonder who in the world would like to have a black diamond in their collection aside from you?"

"That is why I'm rooting for you, mate. You think the right steps ahead aside your hard fate you had to face. Speaking of fate, what did you do all those years after Beckett sunk with his ship?"

"Lord-Lord Beckett is dead?" He blinked at Sparrow surprised. The throbbing pain grew greater.

"Aye, the new Captain of the Flying Dutchman can assure that."

"N-new Captain of the Flying Dutchman?" Said Norrington surprised. Suddenly a flash of pictures and emotions hit him like lightening. So sudden and fast that the throbbing turned to a quick spinning head ache. Like sharp and thick needles drilling through his skull from every direction within a tornado. He gasped and placed a hand to his head and blinked with squinted eyes. His shoulders grew heavy and his knees like jelly. A picture of a young woman with long blonde hair was visible and the following an odd character of a man who had a beard of octopus' tentacles. "Death?" Gasped Norrington. He was almost down at his knees due to the pain and the strong flashes in his mind. Leaning below the banister to support.

"Norrington?" Wondered Sparrow concerned.

"My mind. The pain." He gasped in agony. Quickly Gibbs stepped in time to hold up an arm to support, avoiding Norrington to collapse. "What's befallen on him?" Wondered Gibbs to Sparrow. Sparrow shrugged his shoulders in response.

"I'm alright once this headache's gone!" Snapped Norrington through clenched teeth. Gibbs and another man of the crew helped Norrington to his feet and brought him below deck.

Gibbs quickly bid the other sailor to bring a small cup of water. Soon Gibbs returned pacing towards Sparrow. "Captain, what should be done with Norrington? Something tells me that we should act for pity's sake. It's, unnatural!"

"Aye. For once I agree with you, Gibbs, but before an act of charity can be done we must get back my compass or else we'll never find 'The Black Diamond' and hence help Norrington." Spoke Sparrow truthfully while staring to the distance, focused upon the ship on the horizon.


	2. Chapter II

"Take what you can, you keck-handed deck apes!" Roared Jack as he spun vigorously the wheel, avoiding the cannons aiming and damaging his precious Pearl. The crew were ready to fire back and others remained on deck with hook ropes and swords at hand, ready to charge the deck once close enough to the other ship. "Fire!" Demanded Jack as he saw an opportunity to hit the ship. Gibbs echoed the order to the crew. Quickly Jack ordered Cotton to take over the wheel and drew out his pistol as he walked upon the deck, his dark eyes fixed upon the other deck at the mast. He rose his pistol to his aim, held his breath and squeezed the trigger. The bullet flew towards the mast, hitting into the hard thick wood and cutting off the few of the neatly tied ropes. Few splinters flew off, the ropes snapped and slithered their way up above.

Suddenly red sails came falling down upon the deck, few man cried of surprise while others took cover of the heavy sails.

"Great shot, Captain." Gibbs complimented astounded, his eyes fixed upon the deck and the fallen sail.

"Not exactly what I was aiming for." Jack shrugged to the result he saw. Gibbs blinked at Jack astounded as if he didn't hear him correctly.

First part of Jack's crew took the chance to attack upon the deck with their hook ropes and blanks laid to cross; a loud roar almost deafened the air, barely able to hear one self think. One of the crew from the other ship was fast enough to doge his attacker and took the rope to attack back, aiming straight at Jack while clinging tight to the rope. Few men followed him. Jack dodged his attacker simply by holding onto the rope. The men fell over before he had the chance to draw out his sword. Jack gave a brief back glance. "Thanks very much." And mounted the rope to cross, to face his opponent who stole his compass. A smirk formed his lips to the thought of fighting his worthy opponent who was fast and clever enough to steal his compass and excited to know for what reasons, what booty to take. Upon the stranger's deck he saw that every crew member were in combat with swords, daggers and pistols but one was loading a cannon aimed upon the deck of his precious Pearl. No matter if just a cannonball or something else, Jack knew he cannot allow that to happen. Quick-witted he drew out his sword and sprinted towards the man loading the cannon and placed his blade to the man's throat. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, lad."

Slowly the man dropped the powder keg, raised his arms and stood up to face Jack. Immediately Jack spotted on the man's belt his compass. He reached a hand to grab it. Suddenly a cool blade of a sword knocked his hand down. "Not so fast, Jack Sparrow." Spoke a woman's voice. Jack blinked, wondering if he is sober or not from what he's heard. He looked up, realizing now the man he halted didn't speak but the person who stepped in, the blade pointed at Jack's chest. He noticed from her accent and the shape and sharpness of the blade that the woman is from Asia. "Interesting that you went first to my first mate, it seems like you have a special connection to the compass."

"Indeed, dearie and it's _Captain_ Jack Sparrow." He knocked the woman's blade aside with his sword. She took the swing and aimed it again at Jack. Her simple red silk dress fluttered along the wind and her brisk moves. Jack quickly noticed that she wore in additional black trousers, white socks and black shoes. Few small black hairs fell over her forehead, eyes and neck as they were facing each other close. Her appearance reminds Jack from his time in Singapore that all the Asian people have a similar shape around the eyes but this woman has large eyes like the ones from the Old World in England and in dark green colour he has never seen before.

"If you thought my first mate took your compass, it was I who stole it in the first place and if you want it." She held up the compass to show before returning it to her first mate. "You have to fight with me."

Jack smirked to her words. "That will be my pleasure, dearie."

"Captain Fang Hai, to you!" She hissed.

"Oh I get everything, except for your eyes."

"Speaking to me with honey dipped words? It does not work." She tried to knock Jack's sword aside so that she can thrust him but Jack was quick and agile to dodge and parry her attacks.

"No dearie, I mean every word of it." He pushed her back to win distance and tried to grab the compass while she is distracted of keeping her balance.

Fang gave an attack cry. Holding her sword ready to swing it from above.

Jack suppressed a grunt as he felt her force that he did not count for while holding up his sword to block her attack. At the corner of his eye he spotted few men fighting nearby and plenty of ropes on the floor of the deck. Quick witted he pushed Fang with all his strength, grabbed the few lose ropes on the floor while running towards the few men fighting. Fang exclaimed furiously in her language while trying to catch up with Jack.

"Hold this." He gave shortly to his man as he pressed a bit of rope into the man's hand. Both men were confused and stopped fighting as Jack ran around them. As Fang caught up Jack, he took both ends of the rope and pulled so that the men fell on Fang and her first mate. Jack stepped aside in time. He knew he has a tough opponent to fight, for once again a woman and those that sail are as rough as the sea. All Jack wants is his compass and the reason why Fang took it.

Jack held up first mate in a threatening position with his sword at his throat. "Enough fight, dearie."

Fang grunted in dislike with narrowed eyebrows as she got to her feet.

"Hand me the compass." Jack bid calmly. The man looked to Fang terrified, as if awaiting her permission. She sighed angered and then gave a nod. Slowly the man pulled the compass of his belt and handed it to Jack's open hand. "Thank you." Jack tosses the man hard to Fang. Fang helped her first mate up but rapidly Jack placed his blade at her throat. "You're coming with me for a wee chat." Jack grinned excited to what she has to tell. What booty might await for him to collect besides the 'Black Diamond'. Jack brought her onto his ship into the captain's cabin. "As you are aware, I'm curious to know the reason why you wanted my compass and how you came to know of it?" He placed his sword into the sheath as he closed the door and faced her with a teasing smirk.

Fang sighed and crossed her arms. "Stealing is no mystery; you should know that as a pirate. For your information, the 'Black Diamond' is a hoax."

"You made that up!" Jack remarked bewildered.

She shook her head. "I'm afraid not."

"Still, that doesn't explain why you stole my compass." Jack smirked while he walked around her. Inspecting her closer.

Fang sighed annoyed. "Alright, I too am after the 'Black Diamond'."

"Why?"

"To pay up a debt."

"A debt as in money?"

"Aye." She looked at Jack. "Or else they will kill my mother." She tried to grab the compass from Jack's hands but he quickly turned away. Fang had almost her arms around him. Jack smirked teasingly over his shoulder. "How did you come by the information of my compass?"

"Seriously?" She scoffed and stepped back. "You're the infamous pirate Jack Sparrow. Tell me who doesn't know of you and your compass?"

"True." Jack nodded in recollection with a content smirk to the knowledge.

"Give me the compass." Fang hissed.

"So, you stole it for your mother." Jack recalls a similar story from his past.

Fang took a deep breath. "Please, let me at least borrow it until my mother is safe." She spoke calmly.

"Why should I believe you, dearie?" Jack turned to her and stepped closer.

Suddenly Fang pulled from her foot a dagger, pointing calmly at Jack's throat. "I guess you just have to. How far would you go for someone dear to you?" Fang hissed softly.

Jack licked his lips in recollection. "You and I want the same thing for different reasons. How about I help you and then you help me?" He paused. "The black diamond is not my desire to have like yours. All I need is just my compass to help an old friend in need. So technically speaking few things run a line between you and me, dearie. Except the black diamond part. You and I want the compass, no?" He held up the compass. "Your ship is ruined, where else to you have to go, especially to save your mother or whatever you said?"

Fang blinked but soon scoffed at him with smirk. "What assurance do I have?"

"I guess you'll just have to trust me." Jack smiled and knocked Fang's dagger away.


End file.
